Two intersections go green; dozens more on wishlist

Two intersections along Sunrise Drive in the Foothills received a special green pavement treatment to help cyclists and motorists cross paths more smoothly.

Within the last week, green pavement markings were added on westbound Sunrise Drive at Paseo Otono and southbound Craycroft Road just past Sunrise Drive.

According to Matt Zoll, Pima County’s bicycle and pedestrian program manager, the locations were just two from a list of dozens of intersections that have potential traffic conflicts.

“The intent of the green is to highlight to drivers and cyclists that this is a special merge area,” Zoll said.

Green pavement on Craycroft indicates a merge point for cyclists and motorists

In the case of the Sunrise and Paseo Otono intersection, the county added the green markings because the right lane ends in a right turn and cyclists have to merge across a lane of traffic to pick up the bike lane on the other side of the intersection. Take a look at the video to see the lane in action.

Zoll said he also wants to add a marking before the green paint that instructs cyclists to keep an eye out for cars who are also merging on their left.

“The cyclist will follow those dashed lines without ever doing a shoulder scan and they don’t realize that traffic could be coming up at 40 or 50 miles per hour,” Zoll said. “We need to get these ‘look’ markings in to try to get cyclists to be more careful as they enter those colored areas.”

The pavement on Craycroft Road is the opposite situation. Motorists heading east on Sunrise Drive and making a turn onto southbound Craycroft Road add a lane, which forces cyclists to merge across the new lane.

“We want to indicate — especially for the drivers — that they need to yield,” Zoll said.

An example of the 'look' markings Zoll would like to use before the green pavement starts to tell cyclists they should look over their shoulders.

Zoll said studies indicate the colored bike lanes do work to increase drivers’ awareness.

Zoll helped Larry Robinson, chair of the Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee’s facilities subcommittee, develop a list of areas around town where they would like to see colored lanes added — though he said it is important not to put down too many colored bike lanes because the color will become meaningless.

Zoll said one area he would really like to see the lanes is at the bridges on Pantano and Wrightstown Roads.

“There are four locations around there where colored lanes could come in pretty helpful,” Zoll said. “A lot of the cyclists have been intimidated by that structure forever.”

Here is the wishlist or locations around the region:

Proposed Green Bike Lane Locations
March 24, 2005 Updated 1-20-2011

City of Tucson

Campbell NB approaching Grant (drop lane, 45 to 50 mph approach speed of some vehicles that are merging left at last moment)